An experiential learning approach in developing emotional intelligent leadership

Relying on the experiential learning theory, the research analyzes the effectiveness of a leadership development program designed for graduate students, which aims to promote an individual change in the participants’ emotionally intelligent leadership behaviors. A quasi-experimental research design has been implemented to analyze the improvement in the adoption of leadership behaviors over time through self and external evaluation. The study also explores the effectiveness of experiential and reflective learning techniques in enabling participants to transfer the emotional leadership behaviors learned during in-class lessons into their real-life context. Participants undertaking the program showed a significantly higher frequency of adoption of various leadership styles in relation to the pre-test and in comparison to the control group. Moreover, both the definition of a learning plan focused on specific individual change goals and the personal reflections on the practice of leadership behaviors improve leadership development. Methodological insights for leadership development educators are provided.